The majority of literature on trust between physicians and patients focuses on patients believing what their physicians are telling them. Traditionally, the physician has played the role of the single source of information and the patient the receiver without their own level of knowledge. However, with the advancement of technology and research being something searchable at the patient’s… Read More »
Understanding precisely how individuals consume and translate clinical quality information is imperative as we continue to focus on delivering value to those we serve. Now a very data-driven industry, our focus centers on the reliability and accuracy of the data itself. However, this is only half the problem. The method in which we share this information followed by… Read More »
In healthcare, we continue to increase our focus on preventing illness and disease. With prevention, we also must balance the polarity of whether the preventive treatment outweighs the risks involved. For instance, the association of vaccine usage with possible long-term impacts prevails in the minds of numerous people still, even though the research has staunchly supported their benefit… Read More »
I was recently asked by Gist Healthcare to weigh-in on end-of-life care and how we as a society should approach it and what needs to change. You can read the full interview conducted with Gist Healthcare writer Chas Roades here. But today, I am going to summarize some of my thoughts on why Advance Care Planning needs to… Read More »
As we continue to focus on shared decision making within the context of value-based care, one of the primary goals is the prevention of over treatment through better communication. To improve our conversations, we must first unearth any underlying components that impact both the patient and the provider. Disease uncertainty and management choices can evoke strong psychological reactions… Read More »
As we continue to discuss areas of healthcare savings, we need to focus on the lack of patient education, specifically how to have different discussions between patients and their physicians. Presently, we are asking our providers to share information with their patients, thereby allowing for informed, shared decision making. But is the information complete and delivered in a… Read More »
We place a great deal of emphasis and focus on attempting to design models of care and services that address the consumer’s wants and needs. We discuss the need for patient-reported outcomes and shifting our metrics to those that are more patient-focused, such as shared decision making. We include patient advocates in our discussions and involve patients in… Read More »
Recently, there has been an increased focus on measures that not only drive towards better health outcomes, but also greater patient/person engagement. Within this realm, shared decision making has received enormous interest. Acting in the best interest of those we serve, physicians and providers must engage in conversations concerning shared goals and objectives. However, as we proceed to… Read More »
Moving to value-based models of care will require us to include our patients in decision making in ways we have not done before. Historically healthcare has focused on first doing no harm, which has led us to err on the side of being conservative and has thus led to increased utilization of services. As we move to models… Read More »
As we think about creating value for those we serve, a major component is making sure we view those that consume the goods we produce as partners in the decision making process. Though this might seem obvious, healthcare has historically not taken this approach. Payments have not been made by those consuming the resources, and the resources (healthcare)… Read More »